Columns

As we have been told for months now, this is the most important election of our lifetime which, by my measurement, makes for the 10th consecutive time since the new millennium that this has been the case. As the social matrix of the country has become deeply emotional about the political landscape, it's possible I was in a ground-zero location for the election.

Gov. Rick Scott did not just defeat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., in a key race; the governor was able to claim a prize that only a handful of Florida politicos have achieved: moving from the Governor’s Mansion to the U.S. Senate.

When the president announced that he was sending the U.S. military to help secure our southern border, he received bipartisan praise from members of Congress. The Washington Post reported that the move was seen as "smart politics." The year was 2011, and the president was Barack Obama. The National Guard troops Obama sent to the border as part of "Operation Phalanx" helped apprehend nearly 18,000 illegal immigrants and seized more than 56,000 pounds of illegal drugs.

On Thursday, Nov. 1, the Florida State University Police Department issued a warrant for the arrest of Shelby Shoup, an intern in Andrew Gillum's campaign. Later that day, the 19-year-old turned herself in and promptly was charged with battery. She was cuffed, booked, and spent the night in jail. She will be facing a hearing on Nov. 28.

Healthcare is the political football of the midterm elections. But unlike the game of football, there are no rules. And the goal is to win -- not for the benefit of the team (the voters), but to gain status and power. Politicians are looking for a sound bite that catapults them into the spotlight. Spartacus was a dud. People like free stuff. Let’s try Medicare-for-All! Of course, the ads won’t mention that taxes will be doubled and private health insurance is essentially outlawed.

Next week marks the 50th anniversary of the election of President Richard Nixon. It is a chance for some perspective. While many seem convinced that the United States will never recover from the Donald Trump presidency, the truth is conservatism, the Republican Party and our nation survived Nixon -- and we will survive Trump.

It has been a common refrain heard from many on the left since the August gubernatorial primaries: It's wrong to call Andrew Gillum a “socialist.” In the strictest application of the term, no, he doesn't fit the description. After all, he is not in a position of power to enforce true socialism.

Walton County -- historically a quiet, dependable, conservative-leaning Panhandle hamlet -- keeps poking up in statewide news because of a contentious issue called “customary use” of the beaches. It’s dragged on for two years with no end in sight, because many folks expect appeals of whatever path is chosen.

Just as citizens vote on a 1 percent sales tax to fund transit in Hillsborough County, the county’s transit authority reported that its bus ridership is down 10.3 percent for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

Continuing his bid to topple U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., at the end of last week, Republican congressional hopeful Javier Manjarres, best known for his Shark Tank blog, unveiled the support of U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla.